Africa Program

3 20 things to watch: AFRICA

1

The Pandemic Is Both a Setback and an Opportunity for Free Trade within Africa

The July 1 launch of Africa’s continental free trade agreement (AfCFTA) has been postponed for at least six months as the continent grapples with COVID-19. This is a major setback for Africa’s trade aspirations; instead of removing barriers, the continent must deal with new virus-related border closures and travel restrictions. However, African trade officials rightly see the crisis as offering a chance for an opportunity. Through the AfCFTA, Africa can strengthen intra-African supply chains for pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and foodstuffs to reduce its dependence on outsiders and better prepare to fight future pandemics and other crises. An AfCFTA-driven regional approach to developing these internal chains and strengthening digital connectivity would secure Africa’s self-reliance in public health, and would also make it more attractive to foreign investors seeking low-cost opportunities for medical facilities, supplies, and medicines. In this way, the AfCFTA can drive Africa’s post-pandemic recovery and economic restructuring to boost its resilience against future shocks.

Featured Experts:

Monde Muyangwa, Director, Africa Program

Michael Morrow, Senior Diplomatic Fellow, Africa Program

www.wilsoncenter.org/africa africa@wilsoncenter.org facebook.com/africaprogram @AfricaUpClose 202.691.4158

years years

2

Confronting Jihadists Amid the Pandemic

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed life and commerce worldwide, militant Islamist groups operating across the Sahel continue to execute deadly attacks. Through mid-April 2020, this fragile region had suffered 1,090 terrorist attacks and 4,020 fatalities. For a region already struggling to counter violent extremism, the pandemic has intensified the challenge. Health-related lockdowns have further isolated at-risk youth and have reduced public trust in government as healthcare systems are overwhelmed and the enforcement of lockdowns leads to excessive interventions by security forces. Moreover, the pandemic has diverted donor support and has constrained international peacekeeping operations. Countering violent extremism (CVE) in the Sahel amid the pandemic requires finding complementarities between CVE efforts and public health responses. For instance, using technology to engage lockeddown youth, spending CVE funds on healthcare to retain public trust, and building local governance capacity to withstand a variety of community threats can consolidate scare resources to serve both security and public health needs.

3

The COVID-19 Pandemic Requires Renewed Vigilance, Using “People Power”

Before the pandemic’s outbreak, a surge of “people power” in Africa saw popular protests in Sudan and Algeria drive leaders from office after decades in power. The pandemic, however, poses a threat to African popular democracy movements as leaders across Africa take strong measures to prevent the virus’s spread. The weakness of the continent’s healthcare systems means that African leaders fighting the pandemic have few tools, with widespread social lockdowns being the most immediate ones. To enforce the lockdowns, many African countries are deploying security forces nationwide and are banning political rallies. While the heavy emphasis African countries place on such preventive measures is understandable, pro-democracy activists in the most authoritarian countries are concerned that these measures may be used by regimes to maintain their grip on power long after the pandemic is over.